LEFT BIAS
These media sources are moderate to strongly biased toward liberal causes through story selection and/or political affiliation. They may utilize strong loaded words (wording that attempts to influence an audience by appealing to emotion or stereotypes), publish misleading reports, and omit information that may damage liberal causes. Some sources in this category may be untrustworthy. See all Left Bias sources.
- Overall, we rate The Big Picture as Left Biased due to its consistently progressive editorial framing, strong anti-Trump narrative, and limited inclusion of opposing viewpoints. We also rate it as Mostly Factual because of frequent one-sided analysis.
Detailed Report
Bias Rating: LEFT (-6.5)
Factual Reporting: MOSTLY FACTUAL (3.9)
Country: USA
MBFC’s Country Freedom Rating: MOSTLY FREE
Media Type: Website
Traffic/Popularity: Medium Traffic
MBFC Credibility Rating: MEDIUM CREDIBILITY
History
The Big Picture is a Substack publication launched in 2023 by actor and activist George Takei alongside Team Takei. According to its About page, the publication was created to provide long-form political, cultural, and societal analysis that emphasizes context and nuance often absent from social media discourse.
Read our profile on the United States media and government.
Funded by / Ownership
The Big Picture is owned and operated by Team Takei and its contributors, including George Takei, Jay Kuo, Todd Beeton, and Amelia Mavis Christnot. The outlet is hosted on Substack and funded primarily through voluntary reader subscriptions. In the launch essay “My Future with All of You”, Takei explains that the project is supported by paid memberships rather than advertising and is intended to create a curated, moderated community independent of social media algorithms.
Analysis / Bias
The Big Picture is an opinion-focused political commentary outlet that strongly advances progressive social values and consistently criticizes Donald Trump, MAGA ideology, and right-wing political movements. This framing is evident in the article “MAGA Is Weaponizing Basic Human Psychology To Declare War On The Left”, which attributes political violence narratives and psychological manipulation almost exclusively to conservative actors, with little engagement with alternative interpretations.
A similar tone appears in “Trump Hardened MAGA Hearts With His Cruelty—It’s Finally Backfiring”, which relies heavily on emotionally charged language to portray Trump supporters as embracing cruelty and dehumanization, while offering minimal representation of conservative perspectives or policy defenses. Although the publication frequently cites mainstream outlets such as NPR, The New York Times, Pew Research Center, and Gallup, story selection and framing overwhelmingly support a progressive worldview.
This pattern continues in “Backfire”, which presents a sweeping critique of Trump administration policies as uniformly failing and electorally damaging, relying on selective data and interpretation while largely omitting counterarguments or favorable assessments.
Failed Fact Checks
- A review of IFCN-approved fact-checkers finds no documented failed fact checks directly attributed to The Big Picture or its contributors. Content is primarily opinion-based and interpretive rather than centered on discrete factual claims.
Overall, we rate The Big Picture as Left Biased due to its consistently progressive editorial framing, strong anti-Trump narrative, and limited inclusion of opposing viewpoints. We also rate it as Mostly Factual because of frequent one-sided analysis. (D. Van Zandt 12/19/2025)
Source: https://thinkbigpicture.substack.com/
Last Updated on December 19, 2025 by Media Bias Fact Check
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Left vs. Right Bias: How we rate the bias of media sources